Anthony Gordon ready to give Barcelona’s attack a new dimension

Barcelona will turn to Anthony Gordon for a potential solution to their attacking shortage when the England international makes his first appearance for the Catalan club against Basel on Sunday.

Gordon is expected to play his first minutes in a Barcelona shirt at St. Jakob-Park, with manager Hansi Flick looking for temporary answers in the final stages of the transfer window. The club completed a deal to sign him from Newcastle United at the end of May, before the window officially opened, for an initial €70m, with a further €10m available in add-ons.

Barcelona’s coaching and sporting departments were persuaded by Gordon’s performances against them in the previous UEFA Champions League campaign. He played in all three meetings between the sides and impressed Flick and the club’s sporting director with his pace, intensity and ability to operate in advanced positions.

Gordon scored Newcastle’s only goal in their 2-1 defeat by Barcelona in the first meeting, having been used as a central striker during the closing stages.

He did not start the first leg of the last-16 tie at St James’ Park because he was carrying minor discomfort. However, he came on in the 66th minute despite those problems, with the match ending 1-1.

In the return at Spotify Camp Nou, Gordon again operated through the middle for much of the game. Barcelona dominated the second half and secured a 7-2 victory to complete their progress, while Gordon was substituted in the 81st minute.

Flick’s interest was strengthened by the wider assessment of Gordon’s season. The manager values players who can maintain a high tempo, offer speed, contribute defensively and adapt to different tactical demands, regardless of their usual position.

Gordon’s primary role is on the left wing, but his appearances against Barcelona frequently saw him move into central attacking areas as the matches demanded. That flexibility could make him particularly valuable while Barcelona wait to recruit the centre-forward Flick wants.

According to Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona are without the two forwards who scored 40 goals between them last season: Ferran Torres and Robert Lewandowski. During pre-season, 18-year-old Egyptian Hamza Abdulkareem has occupied the traditional number nine role and scored twice on his debut in Birmingham.

Until the transfer window closes and Barcelona sign their preferred striker, whether that is Julian Alvarez or another player, the club’s forwards and attacking midfielders are likely to be encouraged to make more frequent runs into the penalty area. Rather than remaining around the edge of the box or staying wide, they will be expected to provide a greater threat in front of goal.

Gordon can fulfil either role, leaving Flick with a decision to make against Basel. He could use the 24-year-old in his more familiar position on the left, or deploy him centrally in the role he occupied most often against Barcelona during the previous season.

Although Gordon is not a conventional centre-forward, he has a strong instinct for scoring. His final season with Newcastle United produced the best attacking return of his career so far, with 17 goals and five assists in 46 appearances.

He had recorded nine goals and seven assists in 42 matches during the 2024-25 season. In 2023-24, he scored 12 times and created 16 goals in 48 games, while his final campaign with Everton in 2022-23 brought four goals in 34 appearances.

Gordon’s most recent official appearance also gave him, for a period, the most important goal in English football for 60 years. Playing as a central striker, he scored England’s goal in a World Cup semi-final by arriving at the far post to meet a cross and finish first time.

That goal kept England in front and on course for the final for a long period of the match, before they were beaten by Argentina.

The movement behind the defence, together with his ability to anticipate where a deliverable ball will fall, is the quality Barcelona supporters will hope to see from Gordon when he begins his career with the club against Basel.